out and about and still here.

On a particularly sunny day this summer I was given an opportunity to venture out with The Teenager. She was at odds with life and she wanted to hang with me. I have this mental exercise I do for these occasions “I will listen, I will not judge or punish, I want her to confide in me, I want to give her the benefit of my experience while staying far off my high horse.”

On this glorious day I was given a tour some of the places The Kids hang out. The first stop was the graffiti wall. This wall is at the end of a steep trail of a really busy intersection, buggy and creepy. I cannot discern why this cement mountain is here although it appears to be frequented by The Kids. We saw a girl walk by alone!!! The Teenager knows where my mind is headed and says “don’t worry mom I would never come here alone” and I offered to leap into the bushes, but she passed quickly.

The second excursion was to “The Duck Factory” Right in the heart of Little Italy.

It is so named because of the abundance moldy and wet rubber ducks, However, this ruin suggests a more post apocalyptic duck factory. I am instantly reminded of all the dumb stuff teenagers do and try to remain calm. The ceilings are falling down, there is a homeless young man who lives in a trailer, the floors are collapsing. Surreptitiously I drop a pin on my map app. We laughed, we cried, we didn’t get accosted, good times. As we exit there are 50 gallon drums lined up and I imagine her disintegrating in acid (These are the moments when it really stinks to be a visual person.)